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For visitors from Australia
New Zealand wine country, three hours from home.
Hawke's Bay is New Zealand's oldest wine region, and the easiest long weekend an Australian can take abroad. We meet your flight and drive every kilometre of it.
Electric Executive is an owner-operated private chauffeur and wine tour company in Hawke's Bay, on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. Hosted wine tours cost from $225 NZD per person, a private chauffeur costs from $240 NZD per hour per vehicle, and a private airport arrival transfer to a Napier hotel costs $300 NZD per vehicle. Every price is in New Zealand dollars and includes GST.
Australians already know Marlborough and Central Otago. Hawke's Bay is the warm, dry, coastal one: Syrah and Bordeaux-style reds rather than Sauvignon Blanc, one of the most complete Art Deco cities in the world, golf on the cliffs at Cape Kidnappers, and cellar doors ten to twenty minutes apart.
We hold the Great Wine Capitals Best Of Wine Tourism Award for Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices for 2026 and 2027, and Qualmark Silver as a Sustainable Tourism Business. We are the preferred provider to Rosewood Cape Kidnappers, Craggy Range, Porters Boutique Hotel and Mangapapa Hotel, and the Official Air New Zealand Taxi Partner for Hawke's Bay.
This page answers what Australian visitors ask us. If yours is not here, write to info@elecexec.co.nz and we would be delighted to answer it.
What it costs
New Zealand dollars · GST included · no service charge
- Hosted wine tour, 4 hoursGreat Wine Capital Discovery, per person, party of seven. $540 per person for two$225NZD per person
- Private chauffeur by the hourPer vehicle for up to 7 guests, two hour minimum$240NZD per hour
- Airport to your Napier hotelPrivate transfer on arrival, per vehicle for up to 7 guests$300NZD per vehicle
- Airport to Rosewood Cape KidnappersPrivate transfer on arrival, per vehicle for up to 7 guests$520NZD per vehicle
We do not publish an Australian dollar figure because exchange rates move daily. Your card issuer converts the New Zealand dollar amount on the day.
Getting here from Australia
By air. There are no scheduled international flights into Hawke's Bay Airport, code NPE, so every Australian visitor connects through a New Zealand gateway. Air New Zealand flies to Hawke's Bay direct from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, and the Auckland leg takes approximately 1 hour 5 minutes. The airport sits about ten minutes by road from central Napier.
Same day is comfortable. A morning departure from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane into Auckland or Wellington connects to Hawke's Bay the same afternoon, which is why the region works as a long weekend rather than a fortnight.
We meet every flight. We track your flight number, adjust for delays, and meet you at the arrival gate by name. A private transfer on arrival also includes a hosted Napier city Art Deco tour and sightseeing stops on the way to your hotel.
Entry, time and money
Entry. Australian citizens do not need a visa or an NZeTA to visit New Zealand, and Australian passport holders do not pay the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy. Australian permanent residents who are not Australian citizens normally do need an NZeTA before travelling. Check your own position with Immigration New Zealand before you book.
Time. New Zealand runs 2 to 3 hours ahead of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and 4 to 5 hours ahead of Perth, depending on daylight saving in both countries. We state every pickup time in New Zealand time.
Money. All our prices are in New Zealand dollars and include GST at 15 percent. We take payment in the vehicle by Visa, Mastercard and American Express, Apple Pay and Google Pay. Card payments carry a 3.5 percent surcharge. Tipping is not expected here, and we add no service charge.
Published fares
What a day in wine country costs.
All prices are in New Zealand dollars and include GST. Transfers and hourly hire are priced per vehicle. Hosted tours are priced per person, and the per-person rate falls as the party grows.
| Service | How we price it | From |
|---|---|---|
| Great Wine Capital Discovery, 4 hours | Per person, private party of 2 to 7 | $225 NZD |
| Great Wine Capital Signature, 5 hours | Per person, private party of 2 to 7 | $445 NZD |
| Great Wine Capital Reserve, with lunch, 10:00 to 16:30 | Per person, private party of 2 to 7 | $730 NZD |
| Artisan Producers Full Day, 8 hours | Per person, private party of 2 to 7 | $720 NZD |
| Private chauffeur by the hour, two hour minimum | Per vehicle, up to 7 guests | $240 NZD per hour |
| Airport to Rosewood Cape Kidnappers, arrival | Per vehicle, up to 7 guests | $520 NZD |
| Hotel to Cape Kidnappers golf, each way | Per vehicle, up to 7 guests | $300 NZD |
The "from" tour prices apply to a party of seven. See every rate and surcharge.
Do you need a hire car?
You drive on the left at home, so that part is easy. Two things still argue against a hire car here.
- It is a wine region, and someone has to not drink. New Zealand enforces its drink-driving limits with regular checkpoints, and a tasting day is exactly when a chauffeur earns the fare.
- The distances are short and the parking at cellar doors is not the point of the day. Hawke's Bay Airport to Havelock North takes approximately 25 minutes, and the wineries sit ten to twenty minutes apart.
Many guests take a chauffeur for wine and golf days and walk everywhere else. Napier and Havelock North are both easily walkable.
When to come
December through February is summer and the region's peak. Warm, dry, long evenings. We book out first in this window.
February and March is harvest, and our own favourite time to show visitors around.
March through May is autumn: vine colour, settled weather, fewer people.
June through August is winter, cool rather than cold, and the quietest time to visit. Cellar doors stay open and you will often have them to yourself.
Napier's Art Deco Festival runs in February and fills accommodation across the region. Confirm the dates before you book flights.
What there is to do
Wine, golf, Art Deco and the people who grow things.
Wine
Hawke's Bay has made wine since 1851 and is one of eleven Great Wine Capitals of the world. Syrah, Bordeaux-style reds and Chardonnay across the Gimblett Gravels, the Bridge Pa Triangle and the limestone hills of Te Mata. Our four hosted tours cover all three.
Golf
Cape Kidnappers sits on a headland of cliffs above the Pacific. We carry players and their clubs, and our large covered trailer takes up to 12 sets. See golf transfers.
Art Deco and food
Napier rebuilt after the 1931 earthquake in the architecture of the moment. Add the growers and makers on the Artisan Producers Full Day, and cruise calls from October through April.
★★★★★
"Excellent service, beautiful clean vehicles, on time and great communication. They have different sized vehicles that can cater to your group size. Will be our first port of call when we head down again."
Questions
What Australian visitors ask us.
Do Australians need a visa or an NZeTA to visit New Zealand?
Australian citizens do not need a visa or an NZeTA, and Australian passport holders do not pay the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy. Australian permanent residents who hold another country's passport normally need an NZeTA before travelling. Confirm your own position with Immigration New Zealand.
How do I get to Hawke's Bay from Australia?
Fly into Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch, then connect on Air New Zealand to Hawke's Bay Airport, code NPE. The Auckland leg takes approximately 1 hour 5 minutes. There are no scheduled international flights into Hawke's Bay.
How far ahead of Australia is New Zealand time?
2 to 3 hours ahead of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and 4 to 5 hours ahead of Perth, depending on daylight saving in both countries. We state every pickup time in New Zealand time.
How much does a private wine tour cost in Hawke's Bay?
Hosted tours cost from $225 NZD per person for a party of seven on the four hour Great Wine Capital Discovery, and $540 NZD per person for a party of two. A private chauffeur for a day you plan yourself costs $240 NZD per hour per vehicle for up to 7 guests, with a two hour minimum. All prices include GST.
Do you tip in New Zealand?
Tipping is not expected and we add no service charge. You are welcome to tip if you wish, and nobody will think less of you for not tipping.
Can you collect us from Rosewood Cape Kidnappers?
Yes. We are the preferred provider to Rosewood Cape Kidnappers and we collect from and return to the lodge for transfers, golf and every hosted tour.
How far in advance should we book?
For December and January, as early as you can. For the rest of the year, two to four weeks is usually comfortable. If your dates are close, ask anyway.
Plan your visit
We would be delighted to arrange your time in Hawke's Bay.
Tell us your dates, your party size and what you like to drink. We reply by email, usually within a few hours between 04:00 and 23:00 New Zealand time.